Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price has called for the creation of a Welsh Openreach that will ensure every home or business gets high quality broadband.

His call came on the same day that Ofcom ordered BT to legally split from Openreach, which runs broadband infrastructure.

Openreach maintains and develops the network used by providers such as Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and BT Consumer.

BT and Openreach will become legally separate entities

Ofcom said a more independent Openreach, which “works in the interest of all providers, not just BT” was vital to improving broad and telephone services across the UK.

Carmarthen East and Dinefwr AM Mr Price called for the Welsh Government to consider the creation of a “publicly-owned digital infrastructure company” for Wales.

He said a joint venture with the private sector based on the model pioneered by the Basque Government and telecoms company Euskaltel could mean that “no home or business in Wales is left behind in the roll out of superfast broadband” and make it possible for everyone to have “ultrafast broadband within a decade.”

Ofcom ordered the split between BT and Openreach after it said plans to appease competition concerns fell short.

Pressure for a change in the relationship has intensified in recent months (Photo: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire)

Mr Price said: “[This] announcement by Ofcom is a significant intervention and a clear signal that the current system is not working. It’s time to speed up the glacial pace of superfast roll out and create a Welsh Openreach that is able to properly invest in our nation’s digital infrastructure.

“Opportunities for a 50/50 joint venture agreement with the private sector – whether a more independent Openreach or with other IT and telecoms companies like Google/Alphabet or Apple – along the lines of that already established by the Basque Government could ensure no home or business in Wales is left behind in the roll out of superfast broadband.”

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The Farmers’ Union of Wales welcomed the separation of BT and Openreach.

Managing Director Alan Davies said: “This is good news, in terms of making the market fairer to other companies and the consumer. However, Openreach is still owned by BT so the devil will no doubt be in the detail.

“What we need here in Wales is fair and equal access to the country’s telecoms infrastructure and this has to be open to BT’s competitors so that broadband is available in even the most remote parts of our country. Our rural towns and villages have been left behind in the race for better and faster connectivity and it is critical for the sake of rural businesses and the economy, that tangible improvements are made now.

“Two percent of our population produce around 60 percent of our food. Yet there is a significant part of that 2% who remain unable to connect to the internet from their farms and they are suffering from digital exclusion.

“It really is critical that we close that gap between town and country and make broadband a 21st century normality for those living in rural areas.”